The Master and Margarita

A 2024 Russian fantasy drama film directed by Michael Lockshin, based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel of the same name. The story is set in a futuristic 1930s Moscow and intertwines several parallel plotlines. A renowned writer (Yevgeny Tsyganov) becomes embroiled in a literary scandal: his play about Pontius Pilate is removed from the repertoire, his work is banned, and he becomes an outcast. During this turmoil, he meets the married Margarita (Yuliya Snigir), who becomes his muse and lover, inspiring him to write a new novel. In this work, Woland (August Diehl) — Satan disguised as a foreign consultant — along with his entourage, including Koroviev (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and Azazello (Aleksei Rozin), wreaks havoc in Moscow. Simultaneously, the story of Pontius Pilate (Claes Bang) unfolds, dealing with the condemnation of Yeshua Ha-Notsri. The film received positive reviews in the Russian press and achieved commercial success, grossing 2.3 billion rubles against a budget of 1.2 billion rubles.